[2020 National Audit] Flood of Fake COVID-19 News... Only 7 Cases Referred for Government Investigation

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Although fake news has been continuously produced and distributed since the early days of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) outbreak, it has been revealed that the number of cases for which the government requested investigations remains in the single digits.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee member Choi Jong-yoon (Democratic Party) on the 7th, as of the end of August, the Ministry had requested investigations for only seven cases, including five cases of false information and two cases of personal information leakage.

Since April, after the first large-scale outbreak centered in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has not requested any investigations. It has been pointed out that even in August, when the spread from Sarang Jeil Church occurred, there was not a single case of investigation requested among the fake news distributed by some far-right YouTubers.

The National Police Agency arrested 153 people in 246 cases among these, and referred 98 cases involving 149 people with prosecution opinions. Investigations and inquiries are currently ongoing for the remaining 90 cases.

Assemblyman Choi said, “The Ministry of Health and Welfare has been insufficient in responding to fake news so far, so it is necessary to respond more strictly in the future. However, since there are limitations in responding to fake news under the current laws and systems, the Ministry should cooperate with related departments to improve the system for punishing fake news.”